Exposure
by N3GatorFan
Summary: For years, Henry has been trying to tell Jo his secret. One day, it comes out in an unexpected way. Now, Henry has to deal with Jo's—and his own—inevitable reaction to the truth. Set about a year after 1x22. One-shot.


_**Disclaimer**_ : The concept, canon, and canon characters belong to _Forever_ creator Matt Miller and Warner Bros. Studios. All other characters, the plot for the story, and Henry's flashbacks are my own creation. I have posted my story here, and I don't profit from it. (Translation: I don't own _Forever_. If I did, we'll see Matt's take on this.)

 **Author's Note** : This is an alternate version of a personal head canon that I've been using to write my multi-chapter stories. I hint at it here, but I don't elaborate. I hope that you will enjoy the story.

* * *

Cold water rushed past Henry as he propelled himself up to the surface. A couple of strokes later, he pushed through the surface, leaned back, and took a deep breath of desperately needed air. The spring night air cooled his burning lungs with each subsequent breath. He looked out at the horizon and noted his location in the East River. He turned around, leaned forward, and swam to shore.

With each stroke, the night's events came back to him. He, Jo, and Hanson had gone to an apartment to talk to a witness in their latest case. Henry had noticed something in a hallway, so he left Jo's side and walked over to investigate. To his surprise, it was their witness. As he treated the woman's injuries, he felt someone grab him and hold a knife against his throat. Henry quickly complied with his assailant's orders, and they joined the detectives in the living room. Fear for Jo's and Hanson's lives filled him as his eyes met Jo's. Jo raised her gun, nervously looked at him…and fatally shot him in the chest. As his life drained out of him, she dropped to her knees next to him and showed him his watch. He vaguely remembered her whispering that she would meet him at the river and him nodding to her before his life flashed before his eyes.

 _How…?_

Jo didn't know that he was immortal. Since his fall off the roof of Grand Central Station, he had wanted to tell Jo the truth about himself. Several times, he tried to explain his condition to her, but he never could utter the words. Most of the time, either Nora's reaction to his story or Adam's first words to him prompted him to retreat behind his defenses. The times that he had mustered the courage to begin his story, someone would interrupt him. Each attempt to tell Jo the truth had ended with either Henry's silence or a thinly veiled lie which he reluctantly had hoped would satisfy her curiosity.

That made her actions tonight very perplexing. He had volunteered to sacrifice his life for Jo's on several occasions. With the exception of his fall, she had never suspected a supernatural reason for his behavior. She had always regarded his "lack of self-preservation" as reckless behavior, and she had made him painfully aware of her sentiments on the topic. He couldn't blame her, though. She had already lost a husband, and she did not want to lose a partner in the field as well. Yet, tonight, Jo acted as though she knew the truth about the medical examiner whom she had affiliated herself with for years.

He would learn her rationale soon enough. For now, he needed to swim ashore and focus on finding a phone so that he could call Abe and ask him to pick him up and take him home. Spring usually brought more people out of their homes in the evenings, but the cool night air frequently persuaded them to continue their pursuit of indoor activities for a while longer. As a result, once he reached shore, he faced an increased risk of arrest.

He reached the spot where he knew that his feet could touch the river's bottom. He lowered his legs and walked onto the shore. The cool air and jagged rocks under his feet prevented him from thinking any more about his situation. He surveyed the area and sighed. As he had suspected, no one was in sight. Soon, he would face another night in jail.

On the other hand, a night behind bars would be preferable tonight. He could use the time to find some way to truthfully explain to Jo what had happened. He could also determine how she might respond to the sight of his death and disappearance. He didn't know what he would do if Jo refused to believe what she had just seen.

He walked several steps down the empty sidewalk. Apparently, even the patrol officers desired to stay indoors tonight. Although he doubted it, he wondered if he could make it home without any of his partner's colleagues encountering him.

"Henry?!"

A very familiar feminine voice directed his attention to a group of trees to his left. He turned and headed toward it. As he searched for the voice's source, his eyes quickly adjusted to the dimmer light. To his surprise, Jo leaned against a tree, her arms folded across her chest either to ward off the chill or to comfort herself.

While he drew closer to her, she lowered her arms and walked toward him. When they were arm's length from each other, they stopped and looked at each other. Henry suddenly found himself speechless.

"Why didn't you tell me that you're immortal?" Sadness and anger filled her voice. Her question, oddly enough, sounded rhetorical in nature.

 _Immortal_. Her utterance of the word rang strangely in his ears.

A second person emerged from the shadows. Abe stepped out into the semi-lit area and held out a large red blanket. "Pops, you should have told her before it came to this."

Jo slightly startled at Abe's use of the familiar name, but she quickly refocused her attention onto Henry. Under her steadfast, watchful gaze, he numbly accepted the blanket, wrapped it around himself, and instinctively gripped the overlapping material. He should have felt embarrassed about Jo seeing him in his naked state, but the emotion never surfaced.

"How…?" The word came out unexpectedly.

Jo joined his side and pointed to her car. "Let's start with the train crash that led to our meeting." Her firm voice convinced him to follow her lead.

The moment that they began walking to her parking spot, she started to make her case using every comment that he had made and every bit of knowledge that he had ever offered during a case. He listened to every word that she said as he got in her car, dried himself, changed into the blue dress shirt and black dress pants that Abe had given her, and drank the warm coffee that she had in her cup holder.

During the drive home and their journey up the stairs to his and Abe's living quarters above the antiques shop, she continued to recount her observations over the past few years. He knew each fact, but it was surreal to hear someone else share the details of his life as observations. It was almost as if he was hearing her speak of another person—someone whom he should know.

Once inside the living room, Henry wordlessly and compliantly sat on the sofa while Jo settled herself on the coffee table. She held his gaze, and he could feel her knees touching his. He felt himself concentrating solely on her.

She resumed her remarks, and he noticed that she was relating his more recent comments and knowledge. A few minutes later, she stopped. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her reach for something.

"That's not all. I took a little liberty and looked you up online. What I found, well, it was surprising, to say the least."

She glanced down, and he followed her lead. She held out a folder filled with paper. He reached out and submissively took it from her.

He lifted the cover of the file. On the top page, he saw a copy of his baptismal record, and a picture of his tombstone laid directly under it. As he flipped through the pages, each document brought back memories. He came across several articles about the people whom he had saved or the deaths which he had died and his World War I draft registration card. He gaped at the copy of his and Nora's marriage banns, his signature virtually unchanged. Tears formed as he gazed at his and Abigail's marriage license and at an almost-forgotten photograph that he had taken of Abigail, a then-infant Abe, a neighbor, and her child. Jo had even obtained his records from the asylums and Southwark Prison—something which he had always believed was impossible to do.

He looked up at her in stunned silence. He felt more naked and vulnerable now than he had when he had emerged from the East River. His heart and his soul laid open before them, exposed to her thoughts and beliefs about him and his condition. She now held the main details of his life in her hands.

She sighed. He watched her indignation vanish from her face. "I don't know what to think or what to feel right now. Naturally, I'm hurt because you haven't told me about this. I'm shaken because I've taken another life tonight. I'm shocked because I was right about your immortality. I'm overjoyed that you're still alive. I'm…" Her voice trailed off as she struggled to maintain her emotions.

"I'm sorry. I have never meant to hurt you—."

She shook her head to stop his suddenly flowing words. He immediately complied.

"Still, over the past couple of years, you _have_ been telling me the truth about yourself with your odd comments and your extensive knowledge." She bit her lower lip. "I think that I understand why you haven't just come out and told me the whole truth."

She inhaled. "Sean's death had nearly crushed me, and the changes that I've seen in the world over the last fifteen years make me feel like I'm already behind the times. I can't even begin to imagine what it has been like for you to lose everyone you've ever cared for and to see the world transform in ways that you had never dreamed of two hundred years ago. I know that you've adapted to the changes, but, still, the modern world must feel completely alien to you at times. As for losing everyone, I don't blame you if the pain has become so unbearable that you would do anything to end it. If anything, you have an absolute right to feel that way. Maybe even more right than any of us on the planet."

She paused. "It's bad enough for you to have all of that happen in your life. It's worse that you've had to go through it virtually alone every time it happened." She nodded to the folder, and tears began to well in her eyes. "Nora's really hurt you, hasn't she?"

He searched Jo's glistening eyes. Somehow, her observations and her research had allowed her to reach across two centuries and to see every bit of pain that he had carried. They had permitted her to witness Nora's disbelief of his story about the events aboard _The Empress of Africa_ and her decision to send him to Bedlam when he attempted to prove his immortality to her. To see the doctors try everything from valerian and mesmerism to hydrotherapy in a futile effort to "cure" him of his "madness". To notice that each "treatment" had left him with an inability to think or to feel anything but fear immediately afterward. To see the day that freedom had come in the form of transport to Southwark Prison, where the Catholic priest who had helped him to feel human again and to escape was imprisoned. To watch the nurse whom he had loved sacrifice her life for him when Nora had tried to expose him fifty years later.

He could feel his own tears forming as the memories flooded back. He dropped his head and willed himself not to cry. The tears, however, rejected his will and began to freely flow down his cheeks.

As he sobbed, he barely heard Jo's soft voice say, "And we're her victims too."

He sat with his head bowed for some time. When the tears finally stopped, he took a couple of moments to compose himself before looking up at Jo. Her tears had streamed down her face, and he could see that her heart was breaking for him.

She took a look at him, wiped her eyes, and inhaled to compose herself. She waited a minute. "We have a problem. Mike saw you vanish. By now, he's probably told Lt. Reece, and they're making appointments at Bellevue for both him and me. I don't even know what to tell them. If you walk into Lt. Reece's office and tell them the truth, I will back you up. If not, then I will take whatever Lieu decides. In either case, I don't want to see you hurt any more than you've already been."

His eyes met hers. Jo had already risked her career by tolerating his unconventional behavior, and he didn't want her to sacrifice her career, her reputation, her life—even her sanity—for him. As difficult as it would be for him, he knew what he needed to do.

Henry finally found his voice as he slowly rose from his seat. "Let me get my scarf."

* * *

"So, you're immortal?"

Henry kept his eyes on Jo's dossier on him as Lt. Reece closed the folder. "Yes, I am."

"Do you know how?"

He looked at his unofficial superior. "I don't know. I've been attempting to discover how I've come to be this way for part of the past two centuries." Lt. Reece raised her eyebrows while Henry could see Hanson open his mouth in surprise at the mention of his true age.

Henry could see Lt. Reece study him. "Does Lucas know about it?"

He nodded. "About a year ago, we were analyzing some chemical samples in my basement lab. He needed to use the bathroom, and he found the picture of my wife Abigail, Abraham—who was an infant then—and me on the fireplace mantle during his return to the basement. He complimented Abigail's appearance in his own way, and, very shortly after that, he guessed the truth." He let them surmise that Lucas was quite attracted to Abigail and that Henry had felt like a protective husband when he had overheard the comment.

"Abraham? As in your roommate Abe?"

"He's my adopted son." Henry impulsively lowered his eyes for a moment. It had been over fifty years since he had called Abe his son while with a group of people.

"Did Jo just find out about this?"

He looked over at Jo, and their eyes met each other. Jo appeared uncertain of her response.

He turned back to Lt. Reece. "Yes and no." He inhaled. "I've apparently told her so much about myself over the past two years, and, as you can see, she's uncovered more details about my past on her own. It's not everything about my life, but she's learned quite a bit about me."

Lt. Reece took a moment to consider his statement. Finally, she looked him in the eye. "Henry, get out."

Her authoritative voice prompted him to turn around and to obediently leave the room. He trudged back through the bullpen. Everyone whom he cared about now knew the truth. Lt. Reece was interrogating Jo, and she was deciding his and Jo's fates. He desperately wanted to believe that everything would turn out fine, but he knew from experience that it wasn't always the case with him.

He reached Jo's desk and stopped. His eyes landed on the group photograph sitting in front of her chair. He remembered the day that it had been taken. He had unexpectedly invited Jo, Hanson, and Lucas over to the shop for a celebratory dinner after a case a few weeks ago. The weather was unseasonably warm for this time of year, so they ate dinner on the rooftop terrace. After the meal, Lucas suggested that they should take a group picture, and Jo and Hanson agreed. Abe volunteered to take it. Henry, however, objected to his participation in the photograph. Jo looked him in the eye, smiled, and reminded him that he was a part of the team also. At that moment, he immediately agreed to it and joined the others near the wall of the neighboring building. Jo stood on his right, and Hanson took his place on the other side of her. Henry momentarily bristled as Lucas threw his right arm around Henry's neck. After Abe took the picture, he looked up over Lucas' cell phone, and his eyes widened. Curious about the origin of his son's surprise, Henry looked down and noticed that he had unconsciously wrapped his arm around Jo's waist. Embarrassed by the gesture, he quickly withdrew his arm before anyone else noticed. The act, however, had been recorded for both them and posterity.

Memories of his and Jo's relationship flooded back as he ran his finger over her picture. He hadn't expected any form of relations when she had first walked into the OCME. Since that moment, she had been a loyal and devoted friend. His words and his actions of late had made him believe that he was beginning to fall in love with her as well. He sighed. Once Lt. Reece rendered her judgment, there was an excellent chance that he would never learn her feelings for him as his and Jo's lives would separate them forever.

He could lose his composure at any moment. Needing a place to hide, he looked around and noticed his surroundings. He backed himself against the wall and sat down on the floor next to Jo's desk.

" _And we're her victims too."_

Tears began to form again. Jo never blamed him for his behavior. Instead, she found fault with a woman whom had died 150 years before.

Most people would regard Jo's comment as a way to divert the focus off him and onto her. She, however, was right. Because of Nora's disbelief, he had been unable to trust others easily. She had caused him to assume that people wouldn't believe him, would attempt to expose him, or would try to torture him if they knew the truth. He wanted friends and lovers, but he had felt the need to push people away before the relationship started. When he did found himself in a relationship with someone, he always sensed an urge to lie to prevent his exposure.

He looked back at the group picture. Fortunately, he had been able to have relationships with a few people in life, but it had been difficult to overcome his inhibitions and to start each relationship. He had almost left Abigail and Abe twice before Abigail discovered and accepted his condition. He had distanced himself from Lucas for three years, but they were finally becoming friends—even if his assistant annoyed him at times. The same could go for Hanson as well. In spite of his fears, it looked as though he had trusted Jo from the start as he had given her a considerable amount of information about himself during the course of their friendship.

He sighed. He didn't want this to end. He could see himself staying connected with Hanson and Lucas throughout their lives. He deeply cared about Jo, and he would do anything to see their relationship continue.

He suddenly felt very fatigued. The emotional nature of the night's events was physically draining him. He closed his eyes to regain his composure and to obtain a few minutes' rest.

* * *

Henry felt a light, gentle pressure on his left shoulder which was pleasant and relaxing. Wondering who produced the enjoyable touch, he opened his eyes, looked at his shoulder, and followed the arm to its source. He suddenly found himself face-to-face with a kneeling Jo.

She looked at him, a slight smile on her face. "Hey, there." Her gentle voice relaxed him even more. "I didn't want to disturb you."

She sobered as she slowly lowered her arm. "Lieu wants to see you."

He nodded and rose to his feet. Jo offered another smile as he began to walk to Lt. Reece's office.

As he walked, he passed Hanson. The other detective stopped him and lowered his voice. "Wow! Talk about your lives. One day, we have to get together and discuss yours. I'll buy the cognac for you, and I'll even send my boys and Karen away for the day so that we can talk without interruptions." Hanson smiled and walked off.

Henry watched Hanson for a moment. He wished that he could take Hanson up on his offer.

Henry continued to Lt. Reece's office. He knocked on the door and nervously entered the room. "Did you want to see me?"

"Sit down." He immediately obeyed her order.

The lieutenant looked at him. "I kicked you out of my office so that I could determine how much you've told Jo without embarrassing you. That, and to brainstorm a way to cover up your death tonight."

Confused, Henry looked at her.

"You're a very valuable member of the team, and you've made friends here. There's no reason to break up the four of you. From now on, you, Lucas, Jo, and Mike will give me the real story of what happens when you die either out in the field or when you're living your life, and I'll find a way to cover it up. Tomorrow morning, I'll tell my superiors that Jo's bullet grazed you and that you ran and hid yourself afterward. Jo and Mike will leave out the part about your death when they file their official reports."

She paused. "You've been through a lot tonight. I've spoken with your boss at the OCME and told him that you've experienced some stress during this case. He told me that you're not to return to work until you feel up to it. Take a vacation and get some rest."

In stunned silence, he stood up and walked to the door.

"One more thing." Henry stopped and turned to her. "Mike's under orders not to ask you a single question about your life until you've talked to Jo. I'm sure that you two have plenty to discuss."

He rediscovered his ability to speak. "We do."

Lt. Reece's authoritative stare persuaded him to leave the office.

Dazed by everyone's acceptance of the truth, Henry toddled back to Jo's desk. As he approached it, Jo rose from her seat and slipped her coat over her shoulders. When he joined her side, she laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on. I'll take you home."

* * *

For most of the trip, he remained quiet. When they reached the unofficial boundary of the Lower East Side, he remembered the various dates, some from the start of their first year of working together, on the pages of Jo's personal file on him. The memory prompted him to break his silence.

"How long have you known that I'm immortal?"

She glanced over at him. "I had been curious about you since everything that had happened at Grand Central Station, but I thought that the idea sounded insane." She drummed the steering wheel and sucked some air in. "So, I went online and uncovered more information about you. I figured out the truth the day that I returned your pocket watch and your family picture to you. Then again, I never thought that I had to shoot you while arresting our suspect to confirm it."

He wrinkled his eyebrows. She had suspected the truth the entire time, and she hadn't said a word to him about it.

She chuckled. "What blows my mind is your life. Obviously, not the loss of your loved ones, but…" She paused. "You've probably met famous people and watched artists produce famous works of art. You've travelled the world and participated in history. You've even had the time to gain a real family in Abigail and Abe. I find that totally amazing."

She turned to him again as they waited for a red light. This time, her face was filled with shame. "I know that I went behind your back when I conducted my Internet research on you." She sighed. "Honestly, when I started my file on you, I was wishing that you would open up more than what you had. I know that I should have let you tell me more about yourself when you were ready, but I got impatient. I invaded your privacy, and I'm sorry if I've hurt you."

He looked at her. He didn't realize that she was interested in only _him_ and not his immortality.

Overwhelmed by the evening's events, the only response that he had was to nod.

Soon, they pulled up to the antiques shop. He got out of the car and turned around as he closed the door.

She offered him a smile. "You've been through a lot today. Try to get some rest. I'll see you later."

He returned her smile. "Good night." As he walked to the shop's door, he looked back at her one last time before he headed upstairs for the night.

* * *

Over the next few days, Henry went through the motions of his daily routine. Since he couldn't go to work, he attempted to occupy his time with some reading. He found himself unable to focus on the words, so he spent his waking hours staring into space and letting his mind process what had recently happened.

On the fourth day of his break, he suddenly became restless. After Abe left for the morning, Henry ventured downstairs to the retail space. He walked around the room and let the memories of his acquisition of each piece return to him.

When he stopped to get some tea, a woman peering into the shop's window attracted his attention. To his surprise, it was Jo. As she resumed her walk, his heart started racing, and something stirred in him. He studied her, and he committed every detail about her to memory so that he could preserve her and her story for eternity.

Suddenly, the bell over the door rang. Jo walked through the door and to where he stood. "Hi, Henry."

"Detective, what brings you here?" He felt himself smiling at her.

"Lieu ordered me to go on vacation at the same time as you. I wanted to come by and see how you were doing."

He wanted to spend time with her. His mind scrambled for something to say.

"Would you like some coffee?"

She smiled. "I would love some."

He motioned for her to go upstairs. She walked in front of him as they ascended the stairs.

"Where's Abe?"

"He went to an estate sale this morning. He'll be back at noon."

She stayed quiet for a moment. "Answer me this. You're usually very quiet about yourself. I mean, Mike was shocked when he heard everything that you've told me. Why have you talked so much about yourself around me?"

He thought for a moment. "I can't tell you. I honestly don't know." He wished that he knew the answer.

He bit his lower lip in thought. "When you picked me up at the river, Abe had a blanket. Whose idea was it?"

She glanced back at him. "Mine. I thought that it could keep you warm as we walked back to the car."

He nodded. It could have also made an excellent cover if a couple of patrol officers had passed them in the park. "Thank you for bringing it."

"You're welcome."

A step later, they entered the kitchen. He walked over to the cabinet, removed two coffee mugs, and set them near the coffee pot. He then took the milk out of the refrigerator and poured some coffee into the mugs. He remembered what he had smelled in Jo's coffee over the years and poured the precise amount of milk into her mug before placing the carton back into the refrigerator.

He turned around and saw Jo sitting at the kitchen table, her coat draped over the back of her chair. She smiled at him.

He walked over to her and handed her a mug. She took a sip. As she lowered her cup, she wrinkled her eyebrows. "How do you know the way that I take my coffee?"

He grinned at her. "I know it by smell."

Her eyes widened. She looked down at her cup and took another sip.

As he looked at her, he fell silent. His life now and forever would be an open book before her. It, however, was currently filled with empty pages—pages which were intentionally left blank because of an unwarranted fear about her. It broke his heart to know that there was still so much that she didn't know about him.

He felt freer now. His fear about her no longer existed. In fact, it felt as though it had been excised from his heart and his soul and buried someplace where he could never find it.

He locked eyes with her. "You can ask me anything that you want."

"Anything?"

He nodded.

She thought for a moment as she took another sip. "You once said that you're a cricket man. Have you ever play it?"

"I haven't played since I was a teenager. I was a decent batsman—batter—when I had to quit because of my collegiate studies."

"Did you really attend Oxford?"

"I have graduated from there twice—in the 1790s and again in 2007."

She blinked in surprise. "Wow! I can see why you didn't include the second time on your resume; it would arouse suspicions if they digitalized the records."

She thought for a moment. "What's your most embarrassing rebirth?"

"First, I prefer the term 'awakening' as it more accurately describes my experience. 'Rebirth' implies reincarnation." He could see her note it for future reference.

"Second…" His cheeks warmed at the memory. He suddenly became unsure if he could continue with the story without severe embarrassment. He took one look at her; her eyebrows were raised in intrigue. "Second, I—"

* * *

Jo squirmed in her seat. She threw her hand up to interrupt Henry. "I want to hear the rest of the story, but I _really_ need to use your bathroom."

He smiled and nodded as he took her mug. They rose from their seats. As she jogged to the hallway, he watched her. Their conversation had begun tentatively, but, soon, it freely flowed with each question and answer. A couple of times, their discussion turned serious, but, for the most part, it was quite enjoyable.

Henry wished that he had told her sooner. It would have saved both of them a great deal of heartache over the years, and it would have prevented the events from earlier in the week.

In addition, he and Jo might be exploring a romantic relationship by now. If they felt the same way about each other and consented to it, they would be affianced now—or even married and joyfully expecting the birth of their first child.

He stood in his spot. He couldn't believe that he just had that thought. The last time that he had spontaneously considered marriage and children was when he had courted Nora. Admittedly, he wasn't sure what to think about it as he had never thought of Jo in that manner before.

"Pops!" Abe's cheerful voice snapped Henry out of his thoughts and caused him to jump. "You've come out of your sulk."

"I was not…" He sighed. "I had been reconsidering some things since my latest death."

"Like—?" Abe's eyes darted down and back up. "Two coffee mugs? I know that you don't drink that much coffee at one time."

Henry set the mugs on the island. "Jo came over to see how I was doing, and we've been talking since then."

"Ah! That explains your sudden coffee addiction. Where is she now?"

As if to answer his question, Jo reappeared in the kitchen and grinned at Henry. "You sure know how to spoil a girl with coffee."

He should respond, but his answer fled his mind. All he could do was stand there and look at her. Impressions and sensations that he hadn't felt since he was with Abigail washed over him at that moment.

For now, though, he was content with the way things were. The romance would bloom when the conditions were right. In the meantime, he must tell her more about himself if he wanted any type of lasting relationship with her. Waiting until the time was right would also give him more time to see if she even felt the same way about him as he did for her.

"He's glad that you've enjoyed it."

Abe's comment interrupted Henry's thoughts, and he glared at his son. He wanted to answer Jo.

Abe looked at the two of them. "Do you want to go to Katz's for lunch?"

Jo hesitated. "I don't want to wear out my welcome…."

Henry looked at her. "I insist that you join us. If I grow sullen, you can always take it as a sign that I'm growing tired, and you can come back tomorrow to talk some more. I, however, doubt that I would become ill-humored as I enjoy your company."

She grinned, and her eyes found Abe. "In that case, I'll join you. How was the estate sale?"

Abe groaned.

Henry instantly knew why. "The Berkowitz brothers bought something that you had wanted to purchase for resale."

The younger Morgan huffed. "You should have seen this settee! It was…"

As Abe described the settee and an antique sword which the Frenchman bought, Henry stepped into the living room and pulled on the coat that he had deposited over a chair a few days ago. He glanced into the kitchen. Jo moved toward him. He joined her at the table and removed her coat from the back of her chair. They locked eyes for a moment, and he could feel himself getting lost in her gaze.

She smiled. He opened her coat and held it for her. As she slipped her arms into it, Abe grew quiet.

Sensing that his son had finished his story, Henry decided that he and Jo needed a second opinion about one of her earlier questions. "Abe, can you solve a mystery for us?"

"Yeah, sure. What is it?"

"Jo's pointed out that, although I have maintained my guard around others, I've mentioned quite a bit about myself to her before recent events. Do you have any idea why?"

Abe placed his hands on the island. "Honestly?"

They eagerly nodded.

"Your heart trusts her, but it took your usually perceptive mind some time to catch on and to catch up."

Henry lowered his eyes for a moment. Abe's explanation made sense.

He then turned to Jo. "Shall we?"

As Henry and Jo walked toward the stairwell, he noticed Abe's surprised expression. Henry wrinkled his eyebrows.

Abe leaned over and whispered as Henry passed near him. "Look down."

Curious, Henry followed Abe's suggestion. His eyes widened when he noticed that he had placed his hand on the small of her back.

When he glanced over at her to judge her reaction, he noticed a pleased, relaxed expression on her face. He felt goosebumps spread over his body as she automatically leaned back into his hand.

He straightened his posture. Did their hearts know something that their minds didn't?

He pushed the thought aside. He would discover the answer to that question in time. Today, he and Jo were merely two friends who were getting to know each other better.

For him, it was about time.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** By the way, Henry has a copy of the group photograph on the fireplace mantle next to the photo from 1x21 and 1x22.

I wanted to focus on everyone learning about Henry's immortality, but, in the story, Henry also tells Jo about Adam while en route to the precinct. Her reaction is much like the one she has when she's talking about Nora.


End file.
